Category: The Nine Days

Old Bay Fish Tacos

Yom Kippur is thankfully behind us, and Thank God I survived the most brutal of all fasts, fasting while nursing. Just barely. But I’m here and I’m thinking about food. Again. We’ve got an 8-day holiday ahead, and I love the idea of serving up different cuisines throughout the Chag to break up the monotony of it all, and to give us something to look forward to! I served up these amazing fish tacos for my Mexican Fiesta meal last year and I’m happy to share the recipe with you, plus 8 International menus for the 8 days of the Chag, including kid food! Enjoy and Chag Sameach!

MEXICAN
appetizer: fish tacos, tropical guacamole with plantain chips
entree: chorizo chocolate chili with pareve cornbread
for the kids: tortilla crusted chicken fingers with creamy salsa dipping sauce
dessert: mexican hot chocolate brownies

ISRAELI
appetizer: hummus with pita chips, stuffed eggplant, falafel cauliflower poppers
entree: pomegranate roast or za’atar chicken with dried fruit with rice vermicelli
for the kids: shnitzel and potato bourekas (fill with mashed potatoes)
dessert: halva krembos

ITALIAN
Dairy:
appetizer: salmon cakes with lemon caper yogurt, panzanella salad
entree: spinach pappardelle with feta or linguini lasagna and zucchini parmesan chips
for the kids: roasted tomato soup with muenster breadsticks (or grilled cheese)
dessert: torah cannoli

Meat:
appetizer: pesto salmon or corn beef arancini, spinach matzo ball minestrone soup
entree: chicken cacciatore or veal marsala bolognese or short rib ravioli
for the kids: lazy meatballs
dessert: tartufo (any colors work!)

ASIAN
appetizer: sushi salad or sushi burritos or sweet chili salmon, asian big bowl soup
entree: pepper steak with plum sauce, fried rice, teriyaki portobello mushrooms
for the kids: sweet and sour pineapple chicken
dessert: nutella banana wontons

AMERICAN
appetizer: gefilte crab cakes and BBQ potato salad
entree: burger bar or beer braised brisket with mashed potatoes and green beans or brussel sprouts
for the kids: hot dog eggrolls or corndog hamantaschen
dessert: oreo cheesecake

INDIAN
appetizer: tandoori fish, mulligatawny soup with naan
entree: peanut chicken curry with coconut rice
for the kids: potato pea samosas
dessert: chai chocolate pots de creme

FRENCH
appetizer: salad nicoise, french onion soup
entree: boeuf Bourguignon or coq au vin, herb-roasted potatoes
for the kids: salami quiche
dessert: fig tarte tatin or apple tart

MOROCCAN
appetizer: Morrocan gefilte fish, carrot salad, matbucha, marinated olives, charmoula eggplant
entree: harrisa chicken or lamb chops and 6 spice morrocan stew with couscous
for the kids: lamb kebobs
dessert: apricot baklava or makroud

I’m not native to all these countries so feel free to share some of your favorites in the comments below!

Shout out to some of my family favorite Sukkot recipes not included above:

Bubby’s cabbage soup with flanken
mushroom barley stoup
cream of chicken soup in bread bowls
smoky split pea soup with thyme dumplings
pumpkin pot pie
meat and rice stuffed vegetables 
zucchini mechshie with tamarind and prunes
meat and rice stuffed baby eggplants
Levana’s chocolate espresso mousse (freezes great!)

Beer Battered Fish (fried)
2 fillets firm white fish such as cod, nile perch, mahi mahi or halibut, cut into chunks
1 cup flour
1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup beer
peanut or canola oil, for frying

In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until the spices are incorporated. Slowly pour in the beer, whisking as you go until a lump-free batter forms. Heat a few inches of oil in a skillet. Dip the fish chunks into the batter and fry in hot oil until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels and place on a rack until ready to serve.

Blackened Fish (baked), as pictured
2 fillets flounder or tilapia
1-2 tbsp blackened seasoning (I like Chef Paul Prudhomme’s or Old Bay blackened seasoning)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the fish and pat dry. Rub the blackened seasoning over the fish until well coated and place in a greased baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

NOTE: If you don’t like it spicy, just use Chef Paul Prudhomme’s seafish magic or traditional Old Bay seasoning.

Cabbage Slaw
red cabbage, shredded
light olive oil
fresh squeezed lemon juice
kosher salt, to taste

Drizzle the cabbage with olive oil and season, to taste, with lemon and salt.

Herbed Lime Crema
1 cup sour cream
handful of fresh parsley or cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Quick Pickled Onions (optional)
1 small red onion, sliced into thin half rings
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add onions and set aside to cool.

To assemble fish tacos, warm soft corn tortillas in a dry skillet. Fill with the fish of your choice and top with cabbage slaw, avocado, pickled onions and crema. Serve with lime wedges.

Related Recipes:

red snapper fish tacos with broccoli slaw
coconut crusted fish tacos with savory plantain tortillas

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Beet, Kale & Goat Cheese Shakshuka

I’m super excited to start off my guest posts with a recipe by the talented, creative and adorable Amy from WhatJewWannaEat! Amy and I met through the close-knit kosher blogging community and we share a love of creating fun twists on traditional Jewish foods. Amy is all about putting the JEW in everything, and her bagel posts on Insta always make me hungry! The girl knows the way to my heart (or should I say, my stomach?) ‘cuz she put her own spin on one of my all time favorite dishes, shakshuka! I can’t wait to cook up this dish, and with the Nine Days upon us, there’s no better time to Jew it. (see what I did there Amy?!)

For more great recipes for The Nine Days, check out my Nine Days category, browse my Pinterest board, or scan through the dairy and fish categories in the index!

If you want to win a copy of Amy’s soon-to-be-released cookbook, Sweet Noshings, plus a bonus gift from ModernTribe, don’t forget to enter my GUEST BLOGGER CONTEST! More details here.

Shalom, y’all! I’m Amy from What Jew Wanna Eat, and I’m pumped to share a recipe over on Busy in Brooklyn today. On WJWE, I blog about modern takes on classic Jewish recipes, like Sumac Roasted Salmon or Chocolate Cardamom Halvah, and my first cookbook Sweet Noshings comes out in just a few weeks! I am also the owner of ModernTribe, an online shop for fun Jewish gifts. So I’m busy, but not as busy as Chanie. I’m impressed how she cares for five children all while running her popular blog and doing numerous cooking demos. So I was thrilled to help out when she asked me to guest post on BIB.

I’ve loved following Chanie for years for creative, sophisticated kosher recipes (like Cauliflower Nachos with Harissa Cheddar Sauce or Drunken Hasselback Salami) and daily eats/impressive Shabbat prep on her Instagram. Because I live in Austin, TX, I was online friends with Chanie before finally meeting her when I was in NYC last year. Now we are Internet and real life friends!

Chanie is an expert at using ingredients in surprising ways (Corndog Hamantaschen anyone?), and I love how she incorporates healthy elements into so many of her recipes. With it being the Nine Days, I wanted to create a healthy, hearty and dairy dish to share with y’all. Chanie has made a few versions of shakshuka over the years, so I thought I would offer my own! I love taking classic favorites, and putting my own twist in them, so I added earthy beets, kale and tangy goat cheese for lots of added color and nutrients to your basic shakshuka (which I also love). If you try this recipe, I’d love to see it over on Instagram!

Beet, Kale and Goat Cheese Shakshuka

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups beets (can be a mix of yellow and red), peeled and diced
¼ cup white onion, diced
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ½ pound fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced (or 1 ½ 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes)
1 cup kale leaves, packed
¼ cup goat cheese
3-6 eggs (up to you!)
Cilantro for garnish
Crusty bread or pita for dipping

Method:

In a large sauté or cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add in beets and onion with ½ teaspoon of salt and sauté for 5-6 minutes until slightly soft. Then add in garlic and sauté for one more minute.
Add in cumin and red pepper flakes and stir. Then add in tomatoes and simmer uncovered until sauce is thick and beets are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add more salt if desired. Then add in kale and stir to wilt.
Crack eggs one at a time into a ramekin and then gently pour each one into an egg-sized hole you make in the shakshuka, evenly spaced around the pan. This method helps the eggs keep their shape. Simmer eggs for about 5 minutes until the whites are just set. They will continue to cook from the heat of the pan.
Dollop with goat cheese, garnish with cilantro, and serve with crusty bread right out of the pan!

Related Recipes:

zoodle shakshuka
garbanzo bean shakshuka
spaghetti squash shakshuka
portobello shakshuka
quick and easy shakshuka

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Caramelized Peach & Gouda Quesadillas

When I told you guys that I hate cooking in the summer, I meant it. I don’t know if it’s the heat or the long days, but I just can’t stand to be in the kitchen. Or, at the very least, turn on the oven.

Case in point: this was our menu this week:

Sunday: 4th of July BBQ at friends
Monday: pulled chicken sammies with leftover chicken
Tuesday: burgers and grilled veggies on the BBQ
Wednesday: grilled cheese sandwiches
Thursday (tonight):  I’m thinkin’ pesto zoodles with tomato feta salad

So – quick and easy stove-top dinners or no-mess outdoor grilling is where it’s at. And the oven? I’ll save that for holiday cooking in a couple of months!

Stove-top cooking can get repetitive. I mean I love grilled cheese and all, but how much of it can I eat? (I plead the fifth)! I definitely try to think outside the box for some satisfying seasonal dishes that make the most of summer bounty. There’s only one thing better than juicy summer peaches and that’s caramelizing them in butter and brown sugar. And when you add the spicy, crunchy jalapenos + the bitter arugula and cheesy gouda, it’s like a quesadilla made in heaven!

Gouda is actually one of my favorite cheeses. It’s so gooey (is that why they call it goo-da? ;) jk!) with great meltability (yeah, that’s now a word). I love it with fruit so it works wonders in this cheesy quesadilla.

Gouda is also great cut into chunks so if you’re going for no-carb meals this summer, try my salad variation! And if carbs are your thing year-round (why you looking at me?!), try this as a pizza, flatbread or grilled cheese with artisan bread!

OK this post has me seriously craving this combo, so I’m off to the store to pick up some more peaches and gouda! Have a “goud” day!!

Caramelized Peach & Gouda Quesadillas

2 flour tortillas
1 cup grated Natural & Kosher cheese gouda
1 large peach, sliced
1 tbsp butter + more for greasing the pan
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 jalapeno
handful of arugula

Method:

In a skillet, melt the butter and add peach slices. Sprinkle with brown sugar and saute until the peaches are soft and caramelized. Remove the peaches from the pan and wipe clean.

Add a bit more butter to the pan and place the tortilla in it. Sprinkle with gouda. When the cheese begins to melt, add the peach slices, jalapeno and arugula to half of the quesadilla and fold closed. Cut the quesadilla into quarters and serve immediately.

NO-CARB VARIATION: Make a salad with arugula, sliced peaches (caramelizing optional), chunks of gouda and thinly sliced jalapeno. Make a dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and drizzle over the salad.

YIELD: 2 quesadillas



This post was sponsored by Natural & Kosher Cheese. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, or via their Blog

Related Recipes:

quesadillas 5 ways
spinach peach salad

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Falafel Cauliflower Poppers (Baked!)

You guysssss!!! This post makes me so excited, I have no words! OK, I always have words, many of them. But where shall I begin?

If you’re a dedicated follower of my blog, you know how much I love

  1. trendy recipes
  2. hybrid recipes
  3. ISRAELI recipes
  4. healthy makeover recipes

Am I right? Does that just about sum up my food blogger style or what?!

Well this here genius idea just about incorporates all of those passions! Cauliflower trend – check! Falafel/breaded cauliflower hybrid – check! Israeli recipes – Oh my god yes, check!! And healthy makeover recipes – definitely check, check!!

Ever since my crazy cauliflower nacho hack went ridiculously viral, I’ve been wanting to come up with an equally amazing cauliflower idea, and when Knorr sent me over some of their falafel mix, I knew I had it in the bag. And then I tasted them, and I was all “why hasn’t the whole world made these like every single day of their lives?!?!” Yup. You’re welcome.

Breaded cauliflower has always been a favorite snack of mine, but since they’re usually fried, I don’t have them too often. I also avoid using fresh cauliflower, since it’s such a pain to check for bugs (kosher law forbids the consumption of insects), so I came up with a recipe that solves all those problems! You’re welcome.

So, not only are these cauliflower poppers supremely delicious, they’re made with thawed frozen cauliflower (no checking necessary) and they’re baked, not fried! You wouldn’t believe it from the insanely crunching coating, but oh yes, they are practically guilt free. Did I say you’re welcome yet?

Speaking of which, I want to thank Knorr for making these semi-homemade poppers so easy to put together using their prepared falafel mix. I’ve not usually a fan of prepared mixes but falafel is an extremely time consuming effort – between soaking the beans, processing the mixture and frying the balls… I’m all for convenience in this case!

Convenience is the name of the game these days. With school out for most of the kids, I’ve got summer prep on my mind and lots to do. Plus the NYC heat is totally draining me and getting dinner on the table every night is not as easy as it used to be. I’m thankful for kid-friendly foods that might use some store bought ingredients to help me out – like bottled BBQ sauces for quick and easy pulled chicken/beef, frozen ravioli that I can just heat up with some marinara, and even pancake batter that makes breakfast a cinch. I may be a do-it-yourself, made-from-scratch gal at heart, but I’m a very practical mom IRL (in real life!). Summer conveniences, here we come!

Speaking of summer, make sure you put these on your NINE DAYS menu, will you? You can thank me later.

You’re welcome!

Falafel Cauliflower Poppers

24oz. frozen cauliflower florets, thawed
1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 box (2 packets) Knorr falafel mix
olive oil cooking spray
prepared tahini, for serving

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Using paper towels, pat the cauliflower dry. Place the florets in a bowl. Set up a dredging station with the flour, eggs and falafel mix in separate containers.

Dip the florets in flour, shake off excess and dip in egg. Shake off excess and dip in falafel mix. Spread the breaded florets on a parchment lined baking sheet (don’t overcrowd the pan) and spray both sides generously with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Serve immediately with tahini for dipping.

This post was sponsored by Knorr Falafel. All opinions are my own. 

Related Recipes:

falafel latkes with harissa tahini
spinach falafel burger
smoked paprika popcorn cauliflower
cauliflower nachos

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Sushi Burrito

If you ever thought sushi would just be a passing trend, you’re as shocked as the rest of us. And it’s not just the kosher world either (although we might be the only ones with sushi counters in pizza stores!).

The world is awash with sushi rice bowl recipes, make-your-own-sushi parties and now, THE SUSHI BURRITO, or as some like to call it, the SUSHIRRITO.

A sushi burrito is basically an excuse to eat an entire overstuffed sushi roll in one sitting and call it lunch :) And I got no problem with that! Especially since Michel de France introduced these flavored sushi wrappers which I just love. I’m not a big fan of the fishy taste and chewy texture of nori (otherwise known as seaweed), so these gluten free wraps are a welcome surprise! I love that they come in chili, poppy seed and sesame seed flavors, and now my kids (who aren’t fans of nori either) are happy to eat homemade sushi wraps as well. Can you say “Winner, winner sushi dinner?”!

Turns out, these inexpensive gluten-free wraps make a great alternative to traditional wheat wraps for sandwiches too. Quick and easy turkey wraps are my go-to Friday afternoon lunch for the kids, and I’ll definitely be trying all the Norigami flavors with that!

Now if you’re intimidated by the whole thinly sliced julienned vegetable thing, do yourself and a favor and pick up my must-have kitchen tool of all time, the JULIENNE PEELER. It looks like a traditional peeler, except instead of peeling off a single strip, small blades along the edge of the peeler slice the peel into thin julienne strips. It’s basically the best invention ever made.

With that said, the only thing left to intimidate you about these wraps is maybe the raw tuna. I wasn’t always a fan of raw fish myself, but I recently bit the bullet (or I should say, the protein) and went for it. I find that raw fish doesn’t really have much of a flavor at all, which is why I like to lightly marinate the fish in Myron’s ponzu sauce, which is also gluten free. Ponzu sauce is basically a light and refreshing lime, ginger and sesame sauce that’s great for marinating or dipping, and it infuses the fish with great flavor. Of course topping everything off with some spicy mayo doesn’t hurt either right? I mean, sriracha makes everything better.

Now sushi everything has been around on my site for a long time. In fact, I made sushi salad famous before it was ever a thing! I went through a bit of a crazy sushi phase where I made candy sushi, sushi snowmen, sushi hamantaschen and even a 3-tier sushi cake. I’m a sushi nerd, what can I say?

But getting back to traditional sushi eating…. the salad is definitely getting boring, and sushi rolls just seem like too much of a job. Which is why I’m totally loving the new sushi burrito craze and I hope you will too. With Shabbat going into Shavuot this year, six back to back meals call for light and refreshing lunch ideas – which is why these are absolutely perfect. You can even set up a bar and have people make their own. How fun?

Don’t forget to load on all the toppings because an extra dose of sweet sauce and spicy mayo are every sushi lovers dream. Are you drooling yet?

Signing off with a little shoutout to my kids, who served as my hand models in these pics when no one else was around! They were also more than happy to eat the leftovers (no raw fish for this pregnant mama!) so no waste is a win-win for this blogger mom!

Sushi Burrito (Gluten Free)

4 Michel De France Norigami sesame seed soy wrappers
1 cup sushi rice, cooked according to package directions
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
1 daikon, peeled and julienned
1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
1 sashimi grade tuna steak, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Myrons ponzu sauce, or, to taste
spicy mayo (recipe follows)
sweet soy sauce
sesame seeds, for garnish

Method:

Place the tuna steak in a bowl and stir with the ponzu sauce. Set aside to marinate. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sriracha and rice vinegar.

Place a soy wrapper on a sheet of wax paper. Spread 1/4 of the sushi rice over the wrapper, leaving a border all around. Top with julienned carrot, cucumber, daikon, avocado and marinated tuna. Drizzle the filling with spicy mayo. Using the wax paper, lift the side of the soy wrapper and fold it over, using your hands to squeeze and tighten the wrap closed. Twist the edges closed, or tuck in the sides of the wax paper like a burrito. Slice the burrito in half and serve with dipping sauces.

VARIATION: Feel free to use your favorite sushi fillings such as edamame, thinly slice nori strips, mock crab, sushi grade salmon, julienned mango, pickled ginger and others.

YIELD: 4 sushi burritos.

Spicy Mayo

1/4 cup mayo
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha (or, to taste)

Add to a bowl and stir to combine.

This post was sponsored by Crafted Kosher. Visit craftedkosher.com for a large selection of gourmet kosher products. Follow Crafted Kosher on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

Related Recipes:

sushi salad
sushi salad II
kani salad
kani Caesar salad with nori croutons
tuna sashimi

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